Asia markets mixed as Wall Street drifts near records; U.S. shutdown's end fails to deliver boost

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Asia stocks trade mixed on Thursday despite a partially positive lead from Wall Street's overnight session. This mixed sentiment followed the news that U.S. lawmakers had successfully passed a bill to officially end what had been the longest government shutdown in the nation's history.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a spending bill with a vote of 222-209, Bloomberg News said. The legislation now heads to President Donald Trump, who said he plans to sign it today.

Gold prices rose above $4,200 per ounce on Thursday, hovering at an over three-week high.

The South Korean won depreciated to around 1,469 per dollar, reaching a seven-month low and nearing levels not seen since March 2009.

Japan (NKY:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NKY:IND]) rose 0.26% to around 51,260 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.5% to 3,375 on Thursday, with the latter scaling fresh record highs amid a broad market advance. The Japanese yen [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/USD:JPY#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews] traded around 154.7 per dollar on Thursday, hovering at nine-month lows, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on the central bank to keep interest rates low.

Japan’s producer prices rose 2.7% y/y in October 2025, easing slightly from a marginally revised 2.8% gain in September but above market expectations of 2.5%.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda told parliament on Thursday that the central bank aims for moderate inflation alongside wage growth and economic improvement, aligning with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's focus on reflating growth.

China (SHCOMP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SHCOMP]) rose 0.56% edged above 4,000 while the Shenzhen Component climbed 0.7% to 13,330 on Thursday, with mainland stocks rising cautiously as ahead of major Chinese data releases. , and the offshore yuan [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/USD:CNY#source=url_first_level%3Amarket-news%7Csection%3Aglobal%7Csection_asset%3Afull_story%7Cbutton%3Abody_link] appreciated past 7.10 per dollar on Thursday, reaching its strongest level in two weeks, as investors awaited the release of key economic indicators scheduled tomorrow.

Investors were also cautious ahead of key Chinese data this week, including industrial output and retail sales.

Hong Kong (HSI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/HSI]) fell 0.08% to 26,866 in Thursday morning deals, reversing gains from the prior three sessions as traders booked profits after markets hit a one-month-high.

India (SENSEX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SENSEX]) rose 0.39% to 84,615 in morning trade on Thursday, holding at a two-week high and extending gains for a fourth consecutive session. The Indian rupee hovered around 88.6 per USD, trading in a tight range near all-time lows, after subdued inflation fueled expectations of a December rate cut.

India’s retail inflation slumped to 0.25% in October, the lowest on record and well below the RBI’s 2%-6% tolerance band for a second consecutive month.

Australia (AS51 [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AS51]) fell 0.52% to below 8,720 on Thursday, marking its third straight session of losses to hit a more than three months low, after strong jobs data dampened expectations for near-term rate cuts. The Australian dollar [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AUD:USD#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews] strengthened to around $0.655 on Thursday, extending gains to a two-week high, after solid employment data dampened prospects of near-term rate cuts.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed employment surged by 42,200 in October, more than double forecasts, as firms added 55,300 full-time jobs. Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 4.3% in October 2025 from September's near four-year high of 4.5%, compared with market expectations of 4.4%.

Consumer inflation expectations in Australia dropped to 4.5% in November 2025 from 4.8% in the previous month, marking the lowest reading since August.

In the U.S. on Wednesday, all three major indexes ended mixed [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4520536-sp500-nasdaq-composite-dow-jones-stock-market-news], as growing confidence mounted that the long government shutdown will be resolved this week.

U.S. stock futures rose on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a short-term funding bill into law, ending the longest US government shutdown in history: Dow +0.37%; S&P 500 +0.23%; Nasdaq +0.34%.

CURRENCIES: (JPY:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/JPY:USD]), (CNY:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CNY:USD]), (AUD:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AUD:USD]), (INR:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/INR:USD]), (HKD:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/HKD:USD]), (NZD:USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NZD:USD]).

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China consumer inflation rises 0.2% Y/Y, core CPI hits 20-month high, PPI decline slows [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4519087-china-consumer-inflation-rises-02-yy-core-cpi-hits-20-month-high-ppi-decline-slows#source=url_first_level%3Amarket-news%7Csection%3Amarket-pulse%7Csection_asset%3Anews_title]

China's trade surplus shrinks in October as exports unexpectedly fall combined with a rise in imports [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4518258-chinas-trade-surplus-shrinks-in-october-as-exports-unexpectedly-fall-combined-with-a-rise-in-imports#source=url_first_level%3Amarket-news%7Csection%3Amarket-pulse%7Csection_asset%3Anews_title]

China’s factory growth cools to 50.6 in October, export uncertainty rises [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512722-chinas-factory-growth-cools-to-506-in-october-export-uncertainty-rises#source=url_first_level%3Amarket-news%7Csection%3Amarket-pulse%7Csection_asset%3Anews_title]

China's economic slowdown deepens as factory activity hits six-month low to 49.0 in October [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512084-chinas-economic-slowdown-deepens-as-factory-activity-hits-six-month-low-to-490-in-october#source=url_first_level%3Amarket-news%7Csection%3Amarket-pulse%7Csection_asset%3Anews_title]